As we mentioned, the benefits of making new friends are far-reaching, from improving mental cognition, to possibly helping prevent Alzheimers and dementia and elderly depression. As such, having friends is an important part of maintaining your aging loved ones health and overall well-being.

We’ve already discussed a few ways you can help your aging loved one make friends. So, to finish of our series, we are going to outline a few ways they can help themselves.

Pick up a new hobby. It’s never too late to pick up a new hobby. Branching out and trying new things allows you to meet new people who may have similar interests to you. One of the best ways to make new friends is by sharing an experience where you can learn together. Look for classes offered by senior homes/community centers or even local colleges/universities. More often than not, there are at least a few courses that are open to the public.

If you are retired, a part-time job can be a great way to get out and meet others, fill up your day, as well as put a little extra cash in your pocket. Or, better yet, consider volunteering for a non-profit organization that you would like to support, as this requires even less of a time commitment on your part.

No matter what you choose to do, try to remember that making friends will take some time. Great friendships are never rushed and you should always feel comfortable and not forced to be with a person simply because you want some company. So, take your time and let things happen naturally in turn, you may end up meeting some really great people.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

http://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.png00Physicians Choicehttp://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.pngPhysicians Choice2014-02-28 15:05:352018-03-24 06:37:43How to Make New Friends and Maintain Friendships

On Monday, we opened our series on making new friends as we age, outlining why we lose friends, and the importance of making new friendships in order to ensure better mental/physical health and overall well being.

As your parent ages, you might begin to notice that their close group of friends is becoming smaller and smaller, yet your parent may not feel ready to branch out and meet others. As a result, they may begin to feel alone and perhaps experience elderly depression or possibly a decline in health.

So to help, we’re going to discuss a few ways you can take initiative and help your parent maintain the friendships they already have and perhaps make new friends as well. Take a look below:

Take your aging loved one out of the house

Helping your aging love one get out of the house is one of the best ways to introduce them to others, as well as keep them in contact with their friends. Show them your support by offering to take them out to lunch, the library, or possible senior community events where they can meet with old friends and possibly make new ones. This is also a great opportunity to grow closer to your loved one and solidify your relationship, something that many parents would love.

Use technology to communicate

In this day and age, technology has given us more opportunities to communicate instantly with others with the just the click of a mouse and keyboard. Take a moment to help your parent learn a few simple tricks that will allow them to use the computer to communicate with others. These include:

Email pen pals. Pen pals have been around for a long time, making this the most familiar form of communication for many parents. However, with email, contact is almost instantaneous and of no extra charge if your parent already has internet and computer access.

Online social sites. Sites like Facebook are very easy to use and can give your aging loved one the opportunity to stay in touch with friends and family, allowing them to feel more acquainted with the lives of their loved ones. When setting up their account, it is a good idea to customize their privacy settings in order to avoid any unwanted solicitations from people they do not know.

Video chats. Applications like Skype or Facetime make it easy for your aging loved one to communicate with friends or family who are no longer live close enough to visit, and adding a visual element to these conversations can help to make them feel much closer when talking to them.

Check back on Friday when we discuss what your aging loved one can do to help make new friends. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions you have. We are always here to help.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

http://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.png00Physicians Choicehttp://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.pngPhysicians Choice2014-02-26 12:36:552018-03-24 06:39:05Ways to Help your Parents Make New Friends and Maintain Friendships

As we age, the friends and family we have become dearer and dearer, whether because we’ve known them for so long or because we begin to have fewer opportunities to meet new people.

Overall, being around the company of others is an important part of maintaining your well being, which is why it’s essential to continue making friends even as you age.

Throughout this series, we’re going to talk about making new friends, from why it is important, to various ways you can make friends. To start, we are going outline several important reasons you should consider making new friends even through aging.

You should also remember that you are not alone in how you feel. Many others lose friends due to the reasons we outlined above, and like you, may also want to seek new friendships, so don’t worry about being the only person who is in such a situation.

Losing friends can be difficult, often leading to complications in our lives such as elderly depression and a decrease in health. That is why it is so important to make sure that you try your best to maintain and develop new friendships even in your old age.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the information we’ve outlined above, please feel free to contact us. We’d love to hear from you.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living “currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa “provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

http://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.png00Physicians Choicehttp://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.pngPhysicians Choice2014-02-25 11:38:142018-03-24 06:44:06Making New Friends as We Age

Change your diet. Committing to a healthy diet can help to reduce your risk of heart disease. Try eating a heart-healthy diet such as the Mediterranean diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), which are rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat sources of protein such as beans, fish and lean meats. It also important to limit certain fats, such as saturated fats (red meat, dairy products, coconut and palm oils) and trans fats (deep-fried foods, baked goods, and processed foods).

*As always, remember to consult with your doctor before committing yourself to any drastic lifestyle changes in some instances, they may be able to create an diet/excercise plan that is specific to your needs, preventing any risk of injury.

As for cholesterol levels, it is suggested that you have your cholesterol measured at least once every five years.

As we age, it becomes even more important to make sure that we do our best to take care of ourselves. The heart is just one of many essential body parts that need to be monitored in order to ensure overall great health doing so can make all the difference in the world. As always, if you any questions or concerns about any of the information we’ve outlined in this series, please do not hesitate to call. We’re always here to help.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and WesternÂ Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric careÂ options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

As we mentioned, taking proper care of your heart is an essential part of maintaining good health. Part of that requires having a basic understanding of cardiovascular diseases and their causes and effects. So today, we are going to talk about just that. Take a look below:

Hypertension is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated, in turn putting strain on the heart. If untreated, high blood pressure may lead to hypertensive heart disease or coronary artery disease. It is also a major risk fact of stroke, aortic aneurysms, peripheral arterial diseases, and chronic kidney disease.

All in all, the biggest threat of cardiovascular diseases is a shortened life expectancy. As we mentioned in our previous post, heart disease is currently the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States. Aside from that, lack of care for your heart may also result in expensive medical bills for medication, exams, and possibly surgery.

On Friday, we’ll discuss ways to help you maintain your state of health and possibly prevent or decrease the risk of heart disease. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the information outlined above, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

It probably goes without saying that the heart is an essential part of the body. And since February is American Heart Month, we thought we’d write a series about heart health in seniors.

Just as the heart is an essential part of the body, so too is taking proper care of your heart an essential part of maintaining good health. Throughout this series, we will cover a wide number of issues concerning heart health, from basic facts about heart health, to an outline of cardiovascular diseases, to how we can control our cardiovascular health.

For today, we’ll be focusing on some basic facts about heart health. Take a look below:

And, according to WebMD, about 550,000 per year people are diagnosed with heart failure a broad term, which means that the heart does not pump as well as it should and heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65.

Aside from these factors, health habits can present a major issue if neglected. Here are several other health risk factors associated with heart disease:

Smoking

Sedentary lifestyle

Obesity

Poor diet choices that may result in high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes

Heart health can be improved

Fortunately, heart health can be improved. With the proper steps, heart disease can be potentially reversible, though it is better to try your best to prevent heart disease from occurring. All in all, this requires thoughtful planning, such as attending to cholesterol, blood pressure, dietary habits, etc., all of which we will discuss later on in this series.

Maintaining proper heart health is extremely important to ensuring the best quality of life possible for you, as well as your aging loved ones. On Wednesday, we will outline several aspects of cardiovascular disease, including its causes and effects. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to give us a call. We’d love to hear from you.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and WesternÂ Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric careÂ options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get yourÂ free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

As we age, the loss of a partner or trusted friend can be devastating, especially as our close circle of friends becomes smaller. In turn, our outlook on life can change drastically, possibly even leading to elderly depression.

But there are many ways to help you cope with the loss of a loved one. Not only is coping an important part of maintaining your well being, it also helps you retain fond memories of your partner or friend’s passing, rather than a bitter reminder of their end.

To help you as a caregiver, here are just a few ways you (or your aging parent) can cope with the loss of a close friend or loved one:

It is also important to stay connected with the friends and family that you still have around. More often than not, these people have been affected by the passing as well “whether from seeing the pain you have, or from knowing the person who has passed. Mutual support can help you get over this difficult time as well as show that you still have many loved ones surrounding you.

Get out of the house.

Keeping yourself occupied is another important step for dealing with loss. For some that means simply going out with friends and family, while others may wish to help the less fortunate through volunteering or community service.

While it may be difficult to cope with the loss of a person that has been so dear in your life, coping is an important part of ensuring that your own well being is taken into consideration, as well as preserving memories youâ€™ve made over the years with those who have passed.

As always, if you or your loved one have any questions or concerns about the information we’ve outlined in our series, please do not hesitate to call. We’re always here to help.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living “currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa “provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

http://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.png00Physicians Choicehttp://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.pngPhysicians Choice2014-02-14 13:38:312018-03-24 06:52:14Dealing with the Loss of a Close Friend or Loved One

As we’ve mentioned, losing a trusted partner or friend can be difficult for anyone. However, this is especially difficult for our aging parents as their close circle of friends begin to narrow, reminding them of their own mortality as well. In turn, this can drastically change your aging loved ones outlook on life and may lead to elderly depression.

As such, it is important to have an understanding of how to help your parent cope, which helps to ensure that they will continue to maintain their well being and health as they age.

To help, here are just a few ways you can help your aging loved one cope with loss:

Instead, try to take the situation and consider it from your own point of view. How would you feel if a close friend or loved one passed? Chances are, you will have similar feelings, so avoid telling them that what is going on is an inevitable part of their phase in life. Don’t tell them that they should just accept it for what it is, because you don’t want them to feel like they’re next.

Depending on how they respond to their friends passing, some parents might ease the tension by talking about the memories they had with their friend. If your loved one does this, do your best to be as attentive as possible. You may even ask questions about their friend and show that you are genuinely interested. Close friends can make a lasting impact on anyone, so it is only natural that your parent would want to praise their friend for everything they’ve done for them.

Loss can be hard, but with a little help, your loved one may be able to heal faster, possibly preventing any chance of developing elderly depression all of which helps to ensure that they will continue to maintain their well being and health as they age.

On Friday, we’re going to discuss several ways your aging loved can help themselves deal with the loss of a close friend/loved one. As always, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your loved one, please feel free to contact us. We are here to help.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living “currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa “provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

Loss comes in many forms. As we age, losses in our lives become greater and greater, from loss of youth, to loss of independence, to loss of mental and physical capacities.

Aside from these kinds of loss, we also have to think of another kind of loss, which affects more than just our own lives ”and that is the loss of close and dear friend or loved one.

This can often be the most difficult thing an aging person has deal with. Not only is it a painful experience to lose a trusted partner or friend, it also serves as a reminder to your loved ones of their own mortality, which can already be a big concern for them.

Throughout this series, we’re going to focus on dealing with the loss of a loved one or close friend, from how to help your aging loved one cope with the loss, to how they can help themselves.

For today, we’re going to start with a few key points that you should consider when helping an aging loved one dealing with loss. Take a look below:

It probably goes without saying that as your parent ages, so do their close friends. And, as their friends age, they may also experience the loss of independence, leading them to move to a senior care facility or to the home of their own childrenâ€“possibly out of state or far away from where they once lived.

Though not as extreme as death, this kind of change can certainly cause your loved one a lot of grief. Not only will they not be able to see their friends as often as before, but it also reminds them of the possibility that they may be in the same situation as their friend, so please be aware of this kind of loss as well.

Loss can come in waves

As we age, the risk of loss is not only greater–it may also come in waves. In some instances, your parent may find themselves at multiple funerals only a few months, possibly weeks apart from one another and then have a long gap in between. Such sudden and erratic changes can be quite overwhelming for your loved one and may result in elderly depression. As such, it is important to make sure that your loved one is adequately taken care in such time of need.

Understanding the basics of loss for your aging parents is essential to knowing how to help them through the process.

On Wednesday, we’re going to discuss ways you can help your aging loved one cope with loss. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to give us a call. We are always here to help.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living “currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa “provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact us for a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

http://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.png00Physicians Choicehttp://private-duty.pchhc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/PHY_LOGO_Priv_Duty_final.pngPhysicians Choice2014-02-10 13:20:122018-03-24 06:56:17An Intro to Dealing with the Loss of a Loved One or Close Friend

As we’ve discussed, driving is a huge milestone in most people’s lives and has become synonymous with freedom, mobility, independence and adulthood, which is why it should come as no surprise that most people would be reluctant to give up their keys.

Still, as we age, driving can become difficult if not dangerous, which is why in some instances it may be necessary to speak with your parent about hanging up the keys.

Today, we’re going to talk about how to approach your aging loved ones about when they should stop driving. Take a look below:

Consider their point of view

As we mentioned above, driving is an important part of ones independence and mobility. So when speaking to your parent about no longer driving, try to put yourself in their shoes; consider how hard it would be for you to get around doing everyday tasks without a car. Or, as geriatric researcher Elizabeth Dugan discusses in her book The Driving Dilemma, you could even consider giving up driving yourself, in order to get that first-hand experience of what it is like without a car. But, regardless of your approach, always consider your loved ones point of view.

Give them their options

Before approaching your loved one, it’s a good idea to have a list of options and alternatives to driving in order to help to show them how easy it can be to transition to life without a car.

You should consider putting together a list of pros and cons, highlighting the number of benefits, which we listed earlier, in order to give them a better idea of what is possible even without a car.

Talking about driving can be a difficult discussion to have, but by showing your support through the process, you will help to ensure that your loved ones feel like they’e made the right choice in hanging up their car keys, as well as give yourself peace of mind.

As always, if you have any questions about any of the information we’ve outlined above, please feel free to give us a call. We’d love to help you every step of the way.

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living “currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa “provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of geriatric care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. Get your free Cost Comparison guide by clicking here. Or contact usfor a free consultation or justto say hello!

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

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Physician's Choice Private Duty provides comprehensive living strategies for seniors and their families. Our program is designed and administered by experienced, licensed medical workers and registered nurses. We focus on evaluating every aspect of a senior's condition and their home environment.